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Good Customer Service starts with…

Good Customer Service starts with…

By Devin Moore

“This is why I don’t do business with black folk”, has echoed too often and one of the recurring reasons is because of customer service. In 2018, we encourage our black business owners to focus on customer service, while equally encouraging our black community to be good customers! For business owners, here are 3 quick tips to ensure every employee, business partner, and anyone representing your company, can practice when dealing with customers; internally and externally.

1- Leave non work related things outside of work. Before you clock in, take 60 seconds in the car to breath in, exhale, commit to excellence and smile first, on the inside.

2- Greet and Go The simplest of greetings is always a smile. Acknowledge each customer with eye contact, a smile and a genuine hello, hi, or even a nod. Then Go! Continue working, giving the customer a moment to look around while glancing at them in case they do get puzzled or lost.

3- Thank and Serve Thank the customer for coming to your business, even if it is to window shop. Then serve their needs and wants with patience and a smile, while offering items to go with whatever they are giving attention to.

Are you a good customer? Immediately, you will think you are but really, are you? When patronizing a black business, consider one thing. Say this out loud “When I am having a bad day at work, I hope I am not treated like I am a bad person”. Fact is, everyone can have a bad day at work, including you. Fact is, we all deserve great service when spending our money as well. Fact is, we need black businesses to survive and thrive. Now that we have that out of the way, go be a good customer! Be kind, have some patience, give feedback through a comment card; good and bad, and TIP when appropriate!!

Billionaire Bill Gates said it this way, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning”. Mother Theresa said something profound, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless”.